Louisiana Land Reform in the Storms' Aftermath

Abstract:     
Louisiana was hit hard by two very different storms in the beginning of the 21st century. In 2005, the literal storms of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma devastated much of the state, destroying homes and driving away residents. Just prior to the hurricanes, Louisiana’s hope for land reform was drastically altered by the storm surrounding the U.S. Supreme Court’s Kelo decision, which augmented the government’s eminent domain powers. Louisiana responded to Kelo with its own legislation, creating a new and winding maze of expropriation laws. This article examines how the combination of these two storms affected the post-Katrina land reforms in Louisiana, focusing on the potential for land reform through property tax reform and land banking.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 37

Keywords: katrina, storm, real, estate, real estate, expropriation, kelo, property, reform, land bank

Accepted Paper Series